Sampada’s NEW interview!

You are a new entrant in 'Kasauti Zindagi Ki'...
I am playing Sampada opposite Anurag Basu, played by Cezanne Khan. I'm supposed to be the new woman in his life but there is no romance happening right now. We are thick pals but Prerna misunderstands our friendship. Prerna is living with him and I'm also staying in the same house.

Will it be another case of friends-turned-lovers?
I'm not sure. According to the script, Anurag is expected to marry Sampada but I don't know what the future developments are.

What attracted you to the serial?
Besides being on Star Plus, 'Kasauti Zindagi Ki' is a hit serial. It has been on air for so long but is still doing so well. Now that I've decided to do television again, I would rather do a hit show and get more exposure. I also wanted to work with Balaji as I started with them.

Do you relate to Sampada completely?
Not completely, I would say 70%. I don't talk as much as Sampada. I'm not a teenager any more (laughs). She's a very happy-go-lucky and chilled out kind of person. She's very bubbly and is always there for Anurag. Deep inside, she has feelings for him but doesn't want to show him.

Is there something about her that you disagree?
What I don't like about her as a character is the fact that she knows Anurag so closely for almost ten years yet he keeps going back to Prerna. I wonder why she accepts Anurag that way. Otherwise, there's nothing about her that I don't like. Actually, she's a very positive character. There's nothing extraordinary about her.

Why did you quit Kkusum?
That was three years back. I was also doing another show. I wanted to quit television. Then I returned. with episodic stuff after which I did 'Kamini Damini'. I did a triple role in it but the popularity that I got from 'Kasauti ......' was phenomenal.

Why did you quit television?
Nothing great was happening on television then, or probably I wasn't getting great offers. I don't want to wake up in the morning and say, 'Oh no, I've to go for a shoot today!' So I decided to take a break.

What did you do in your free time?
I did ads. But that was boring as it was one ad per month. So it was a long wait till the next one came along. I also did a South film. I made a comeback when I started getting good offers again.

What about your South film?
That was 'Yagnam', a Tamil film. It was very mass-oriented and went on to become a super hit last year. The producers were similar to the Bharjatyas and don't believe in exposure of their heroines. It was a family-oriented film. It dealt with racism. The hero was of a lower caste and falls in love with the Zamindar's daughter, played by me.

Are you planning to do more South films?
I got several offers after that. But I'm not interested in them now as I'm doing television. It's not possible to give bulk dates now. Besides, I also get homesick. These shoots are generally outdoors and stretch over a period of 45-60 days, at times. But I'm still doing ads.

How about Hindi films?
I would love to but no commercial films for me. I don't even want to think about them. I'm very keen on doing a Ram Gopal Varma film.

Why are you against commercial films?
I know I don't fall into that category. It's very difficult for me to sing and dance around trees. I'll have to work very hard to look convincing in these roles. I won't even be able to relate to them. Then, it will be difficult for me to do it wholeheartedly. I don't believe in doing something just for the sake of doing something. But I'd love to do a Bengali film.

Are you uncomfortable with skin show?
I'll have to put in a lot of effort to look glamorous. I'm not comfortable exposing. But I don't mind doing it if it's a great character that I have to really work on and the makers are dying to cast me in it.

Is acting something for life?
Oh yes! It's a passion. I can't imagine sitting at home being a housewife or even doing anything else. I have to be connected with films, television and ad films but acting is my first priority. It will remain so until I'm physically and mentally active. I want to keep growing as an actor and be known as a good actress. Even after ten years in the industry I feel there's so much to learn.

Any plans of tying the knot again?
No! At least not for the next few years! Marriage will happen when it has to.

Has your break-up of your previous marriage embittered you?
Not at all! It has not left any scars. On the contrary, I feel it was a good learning experience. Looking back, I can criticise myself and feel I could have handled it in this way. These things happen in life but life goes on (smiles).